Why I'm Doing Whole30

Sometimes you just have to take a good hard look at yourself and say "something isn't coming together the way I want it to." I've been Paleo for a couple of years and while I lost a chunk of weight at first, I've been finding that despite being more active, I've been carrying my weight in ways that make me uncomfortable. I know I'm not fat by any means but when the clothes don't fit well, I get this feeling that I'm not doing something right.

I realized what the issue was... I make a lot of Paleo exceptions. I like to think it's the 80/20 rule but I know it's probably more 60/40. I've been too easy on myself. I've also based my cooking around the "Life is too short to not enjoy cheese and wine." Well, I still believe that's true but maybe I don't need them every night... and maybe the only way to get there is to cut them out completely for a little while.

So what is Whole30?

Whole30 is basically paleo in it's most extreme form. There are a handful of rules (and exceptions) to help guide you.

-No Grains
-No Dairy
-No Alcohol
-No Scales
-No Sugar
-No Legumes
-No re-creating baked goods

Some of these rules (like no weighing yourself and no re-creating baked goods) are unique to Whole30, making it stricter than even strict paleo. However, they make sense to me. I can't quite explain why but it seems to be like how certain rules of AA make it more useful than other programs.

Why Now?

I had a couple of reasons for the timing... first, the start of the challenge is a couple of days after getting back from a vacation where I was about 0% paleo. I definitely wanted to make amends to my body after so much splurging.

On that note... as fun as the World Cup Eating Challenges are, they don't feel paleo, even if they technically are. When I'm frying tempura or making a dessert... it feels like I'm cheating. It's fun for the challenge, but I don't feel great when I eat so much fried food. I'd been feeling like the next thing I want to do is just go really strict paleo and be really healthy for a set period of time just to really see what I can do.

I also wanted to do this because at the end of the 30 days, I'll be taking on another challenge - I'll be running my first half marathon. In the weeks leading up to this decision, I haven't kept up with my training at all. Some has been legitimate stress and time crunch.. but that's never a great excuse. A lot has just feeling physically dragged down because of going out, drinking, or just not eating great. I'm really hoping that putting good things into my body, removing myself from social events that won't fit with Whole30, and no nightly glasses of wine, will help me get back on track with my training.

Lastly, the day I started the challenge, my family went through a big loss (one that was expected and has been the source of some of my distractions in earlier blog posts). While I was already set on my course when I got the news, the challenge gives me a better way to cope. Instead of looking into a bottle, I can put my energy into cooking and exercising and doing things that are good for me instead of using a saddening event as a reason to drink or indulge.

How I Want to Approach It

Really the main thing that I think is going to help me actually do this is that I want to do well in the half. I want to get back to my training. I can fill extra free time with training. If I am feeling like a glass of wine, I can go to the gym. And all of this - it's going to be so much sweeter when I cross the finish line and get to celebrate with my friends and a glass of champagne - one that I've actually earned instead of just wanting.

I also really want to make this about enjoying GOOD food. I obviously love to cook. I don't think there is anyone who loves to cook and doesn't love to eat. I want to make this about making good meals that are good for me... and obviously also fuel my workouts (so lots and lots of potatoes). I've already done my first round of shopping and I bought some fun things - some new produce, some new animal meats. I'm excited to try out new things and really enjoy buying high quality food. I mean... I'll obviously be saving a lot of money by not drinking so why not put some of it to food?

I know this is going to be a challenge. I know there are going to be days when I just want to put cheese on something or grab tacos or open a bottle of wine. I'm lucky that I have an awesome boyfriend who was shocked and totally supportive when I told him what I wanted to do... and then asked if dinner was going to suck for the month. I'll be posting along the way so you can see how Whole 30 is going.